The Rose Garden: A Game
by TintedElements
Summary: No one wants to be part of the nobbles' games, but once you're the hunted, what choice do you have but to play along? For Rin, it's no different. However, her hunter seems to have entirely other plans. Fourshot written by Autzulfrost.
1. Round One

That fish is annoying... very annoying... How the hell can it swim so peacefully in its tank with that stupid fish-gaze and still blabber a mile per second? I could technically find a way to get at it... But I shouldn't.

I need to stop thinking about eating that tuna.

That stupid thing is the only other living being inside this stupid cage, it sucks so badly. Okay, on the other hand, its constant blabbering and blubbering is distracting me. That has got to be a true blessing.

This golden cage is way too restricting.

… But the alternative is worse. Lucky for me I only have to go through that shit once a week. And you know, if I pass, I always get an extra serving of fish for half a week and that silly mutt can starve for half a week.

It's a game the master and mistress play, you see?

I've never actually seen the mutt. I've been too busy winning the game. Seeing him is like losing and losing means I'm a goner. Or so I've heard.

I never show any interest in what the tuna tells me.

Why it's in my cage, I don't know. Neither do I care. It stills lives because it entertains me and because I get to find out more about this place. People say cats are free creatures... But I'm caged most of the time. So the only remotely interesting thing here is the tuna.

And it tells me lots of interesting things about life here at the mansion.

Apparently it heard from the rabbit that my predecessor got caught only two weeks after she first arrived here. She tripped over her long blonde hair and cut her pretty face on a rose bush.

Needless to say, she didn't last long in their game after that.

Being in the dark cellar means me and the tuna don't get to hear much, but the rabbit has a much better view from her cage on the balcony. In fact, the master, mistress and their guests watch from there.

While the rabbit is a precious pet, I'm only a replaceable animal to them.

Sometimes I'm jealous, but other times I think it must suck to be in a cage all day long. I mean it does suck... Just that I get to go out once a week.

The game takes place in the rose garden after all.

The rose garden is a maze, entirely formed from rose bushes. I'd love to hide out and escape this place, but that's kind of impossible with so many thorns and too little exits. Plus, there's always some servant waiting for me at the exit.

Speaking of that dude, here he comes.

I knows it's him 'cause he's the only one who ever comes down here with a chain in hand. A chain he hangs 'round my neck. I never make his job easy though.

But in the end, I can't ever escape him.

I hate the tuna when it laughs seeing me get taken out of our cage. I hiss and spit, trying to claw the guy, but it doesn't help.

I'm nervous as hell.

Sure I've beaten that stupid dog too many times to remember, but I know that every week could be my last if I don't run like hell. The worst thing is that the layout of the maze is never the same. It'd be boring otherwise, right? I nearly got caught the second time I was in there. The entrance area seemed similar enough, but then I ran into a dead end. I had started panicking.

I really believed he could hear my breathing.

I made it out of there safely that time though. I do wonder why he never catches me. He must have caught quite a few others already. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

The servant pulls me down many hallways and as I struggle to maintain my ground, I glimpse blond hair, fluffy ears and a chain around another corner.

That must be my personal predator.

He doesn't seem to be struggling as much as me. Well, duh... He's not the one who's running for his life.

In no time at all, we've reached the garden.

Argh, how I'd love to lounge in one of those tall trees in the front garden. Too bad my destination is the back garden, where I'd rather not lounge in anything. I look back toward the huge mansion and see a bunch of fancily dressed people out on the balcony.

I glare at my teal-haired mistress.

I'd love to rip her hair out. It's so long and drapes on the floor, it wouldn't even be difficult to do. The problem is of course that I'm never close enough to her. Just close enough for her to praise me for my performance.

I always give it my all. It's a game of life and death, at least to me.

It's a simple game really. I'm released into the garden and then after they think I've got a sufficient head-start, they send my hunter after me. I assume they bet on the victor, with the master obviously betting on the hunter and my mistress on me.

I don't imagine starving the poor mutt has done him any good.

Regardless, I'm not planning on letting him win. No way.

They push me through the metal gates and lock them before releasing my chain. There's no start signal. The moment the chain releases I'm allowed to run. And I can't run too fast, either. I never know when there's a dead end and it's crucial I don't hurt myself.

That mutt has a fantastic sense of smell after all.

I hear the gates open and close again. Shit, so soon already? Usually they give me a little more time. The rose bushes are pretty tall, so once I'm past half of the maze, they won't be able to see a thing of me. That's usually when they start moving towards the exit. And they sure make a lot of noise when they do.

I always keep track of my progress.

It makes me feel better and gives me more confidence that I'm going to win and live to see another day. Probably just a few more corners...

Oof!

What the hell was that!?

I knocked something real hard. Strange, there shouldn't be anything else here except for the rose bushes. I crack my eyes open to reveal a blond guy in front of me.

Oh shit. It's the mutt. I stare at him in shock.

"Oh shit... What are you doing here?" He asks me looking around like someone else was in the garden. It's strange how his thoughts mirror mine. They really shouldn't.

For a moment I'm puzzled. His ears are twitching and he's still looking around panicked. Why is he the one panicked?

"Well, don't just stand there! Get running!" He whispers to me and pulls me up from the floor, then he shoves me in a random direction, while taking the other direction.

He looks unwell. A bit too skinny, but that would be my fault. He isn't delusional, is he? Anyway, I continue running. There's no point debating it right now. In no time at all, I reach the exit of the maze. Well, okay... It did take some time... The sun is already setting.

Half the crowd cheers while the other half looks a bit frustrated. Hey, it's their own fault for betting on a delusional dog! But that darn chain comes around my neck again before I can claw the mistress' hair. Dang.


	2. Reprieve

A/N: In case anyone was wondering... The main character is Rin and she's sort of like a half animal (cat) half human being and the tuna is a real tuna. I just realized (because someone asked) that it's not so clear from only the first chapter, although it should become clearer in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid, seeing as this is a fanfiction.

* * *

And once again, I'm dumped back into my golden cage in the cellar of that huge mansion. Seriously, why is the cage golden when they don't even bother ever coming down here or turning on the lights?

The annoying tuna welcomes me back cheerfully with the same expression as always. Once the chain is off my neck, I pick up my hair brush to tidy my hair. It always get ruffled up from running so much. I adjust my hair pins while looking in the mirror.

He's got the same blue eyes and blond hair as me.

That's odd. We look very alike, that dog and me. There's no way we could be related though. He's a canine and I'm a feline. We're totally different beings.

"Nice going out there today!"

But it's not the tuna that spoke. I turn around abruptly to look into the green eyes and smiling face of the rabbit. Of course she's not in my cage, but what is she doing here?

"I assume you're the rabbit I've heard so much about?" I ask her. She's already started playing with her long furry ears. They're just slightly shorter than her front bangs.

"Yeah, sure. I'm the eyes and ears of this mansion, kiddo!" She uses her fingers to make big rings around her eyes as if imitating binoculars, then she winks at me. I really sort of want to eat her. Felines do eat bunnies, right? Then again, I'm not exactly a cat, so I suppose it could be considered cannibalism if I did eat her.

"So? What interesting news have the 'eyes and ears of this mansion' seen today?" I ask sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I do so.

"Oh yeah!" She holds her index finger up in front of her face as if to grab my attention and then waves me over to the edge of the cage.

"I was watching you guys in the maze today!" She whispers to me excitedly. "Close call, eh!" And then she giggles for a bit, making me impatient. Doesn't she have anything else to say? It's not like I didn't already know that.

Wait... She said close call... Maybe she knows something about that mutt?

"Hey... You watched us bump into each other? What's up with that dog? Why did he, you know... Let me go? Has he got a few screws loose? What can you tell me about him? And how the hell did you manage to see us anyway?" I question fervently.

She giggles further at my questioning and plays with her bangs. "Eyes and ears, remember? It's a secret so I can't tell you how I know, but yes, I did see you crash. Ha! That was hilarious." She tries and fails to suppress her laughter. "Few screws loose? Hahaha... He probably has a few more loose than just a few."

"What?" I ask not quite understanding what's so funny. I frown at the bunny girl still playing with her white ears and green hair.

"Aw, nevermind!" There's mirth in her eyes. Obviously she knows something and isn't telling me. She's so close to me, I could probably grab her and scratch her eyes out, but she continues before I get my claws on her. "Anyway his name's Len. He's a golden retriever." She says smiling and then she puts her hand to her cheek in thought.

Great. I know his name now. But that isn't going to help me much with my predicament.

And of course his breed. 'Cause humans really like to know the breed of their dogs. Greaaat...

"Hmm...! Speaking of names... Mine's Gumi. What's yours?" The rabbit says, bouncing up and down.

"Rin. But come on... Surely your ears picked up more than just his name!" I continue bugging her. I need to know. Something seems very fishy to me and it isn't my food (or the tuna I'm happily ignoring).

"Well duh! Of course I know more than that!" She crosses her arms and turns away from me. I hope she isn't terribly offended.

"He likes wearing hoodies!" Gumi proclaims loudly when I almost gave up on waiting for her.

"Eh? What does that have to do with anything?!" I grab the bars of the cage and press my face closer to hers.

"Huh? That's pretty amazing info you know! The only thing you ever see him walking around in is a freaking suit. And I tell you, it doesn't suit him at all!" And she cracks up at her own joke. I think I'm about ready to give up on her sanity.

I sigh loudly. "How come you get to go all over the place anyway? I thought you have a cage just like mine?" Life sucks. I just realize I was apparently wrong in believing that she was just in a different location and that we were equal otherwise. But really, I should have guessed. How else would a tuna in my cage hear anything from a rabbit?

"I can't go everywhere, silly! I'm not allowed in the garden. So I'm squeaky clean! I can go everywhere else though!" She pauses here and one of her ears lift a bit at their base. I'm quiet too. Outside this room, there are footsteps echoing in the hallways.

"Oh crap! I gotta go. I'm not supposed to visit other pets. Hehe... See ya another time!" And off she hops, leaving me with the talkative tuna. The moment she's out of the room it starts talking again. I collapse on my bed, deciding to postpone eating until I've settled down a bit.

Len. Golden retriever. Hoodies.

That's all I have for now. Why am I even concerned? Maybe it's because he looked so cute... No way! What am I thinking! He's all out to eat me! But he did find me. Which means I lost technically. But I'm still alive. Which means I won...

Why didn't he catch me?

I'm sure of it, our eyes met for a brief moment. What was going through his head at the time? I press the palms of my hands against my face to concentrate. I do believe... He was afraid. In that instance and beyond that.

He was panicking and panting. His face was red. His breath was shallow. He was at his limit.

A dog should be able to go longer than that... Their stamina creatures, right? Then again, it could probably be blamed on his diet.

He wasn't wearing a hoodie or a suit. Now that I think about it... He wasn't even wearing a shirt. I remember seeing his ribs poking at his skin, like there isn't any flesh under there. The poor guy... He's starving because of me.

I shouldn't care, right? But my chest burns at the thought.

Distantly I hear the old grandfather's clock. Odd... I shouldn't be able to hear it from here even with my sensitive ears. I look toward the door and realize it's been left open.

The rabbit must have left it open in her haste to leave.

Thankfully the tuna is asleep. I don't think I could tolerate its unending string of words right now. For a moment I bask in the silence and take in the steady ticking of the clock. It calms my rapid thoughts.

But the peace doesn't last.

Distantly I hear the scraping of chain against the cool stone floors of the basement. Someone is clearly struggling against them. There are whispers too. It sounds harsh, yet the voice is barely a whisper from here. I wonder how far away they are. I hear footsteps, two pairs in fact. One set in shoes and one set bare.

It must be a pet in that case. We're always barefooted.

The footsteps are coming closer and the scraping of chains is becoming louder.

"Come on... She's not that fast. You could have easily caught her... You're not that weak are you?" It's the master's voice.

My breath catches in my throat.

He walks by my door, not realizing or not caring that it was left open. He's pulling at one end of a bloody chain. And on the other?

I hear a soft whining.

And soon after Len passes by my door. His soft golden hair is stained red and yet he struggles against the chains. His hands are red too. But he seems deathly afraid of being dragged down here. As he passes by, our eyes meet once again, his widening a fraction at seeing me. He struggles harder and the master continues berating him for his incompetence.

Why does the clock's echo sound so menacing now?

I swiftly find my way back to bed and cover my ears, trying to block out the sight, smells and sounds. But I don't succeed... Aside from the blood stinging my nose, he smells odd...

Like bananas. A subtle smell.

It suits him, oddly enough. I don't particularly like bananas, I prefer oranges. But... Maybe I'll give it a try someday. My eyes are heavy. I've had a tiring day. But they're forced wide open again. A howl pierces the stale air of the basement, making me jump upright. I stare at the door with wide eyes, hoping no monster passes by.

It's only the master, with a bloody red whip in hand, muttering under his breath.

What am I saying 'only'? I never knew that man could be like that. His soft blue eyes and gentle smile must be a facade. How complicated humans are...

Long after the master has left, The only sounds permeating the silence are the ticking of the clock and a soft sniffing and occasional whining.

I start humming a tune.

I don't know why exactly and I'm not sure exactly what tune it is, but it calms my frantically beating heart and the whining from down the hallway. Finally after a long time, after the whining has ceased completely, I'm able to fall asleep.

The next morning, I push my breakfast around listlessly. The fish seems so unappetizing to me and I can't quite figure out why. I peel the oranges and savour each slice. The sourish bitter yet sweet juice never ceases to make my mouth water.

To my surprise, the servant bringing me my food isn't my only guest this morning. Large white ears peek in from the crack from the previously closed door - the servant had closed it when he came in. She has a sheepish grin on her face and I brace myself for whatever is to come.

"Hehehe... Hi again! Sorry I left so abruptly yesterday!" She rubs the back of her head with her hand, ruffling her green hair in the process. I shrug to show her it doesn't mean much to me while I continue eating my oranges.

"Tell me more about Len." I state/order however you like to call it. I didn't mean it to come out like that, but sometimes I just speak my thoughts. And they're not always cute like my outward appearance. To my surprise she nods energetically and complies anyway.

"He doesn't look it, but he's actually really fast. He just runs slowly when playing fetch, cause he doesn't like that game." She tells me after a while of thinking.

"Why not?" I ask her. I thought all canines liked catching stuff. Especially stuff that moved around on its own.

"Well... I think he has an inkling of what happens to those he does catch. But you know, if you're too slow he'd catch them anyway. I've never seen him do something like yesterday!" There's a big goofy grin on her face and she's bouncing up and down again. Out of nowhere she pulls out a purple carrot and munches on it.

"What does happen to the felines he catches?" I ask tentatively. At this point I'm not sure I want to hear the answer.

She looks at me as if she knows I don't actually want to hear the answer, but she answers anyway. I'll make sure I never ask her anything I don't actually want to hear next time. "If they're not dead by the time he drags them out of the maze, which is like 100% of the time, they get slaughtered and chopped up. And then of course it's no big secret that they end up in his meal... You know, I think he can smell it."

That makes me feel sick and I struggle to keep the oranges I ate in my stomach.

"Oh, but he never eats anything for a while after he just made a catch. Oh haha, funny how he eats more when he loses at their game." She laughs at this.

It's not particularly funny to me though, I'm still sick from what she just told me.

"By the way, the master seems pretty upset at losing so many times in a row. I heard he punished Len quite harshly last night..." She trails off and starts thinking again, but I decide to interrupt her while my stomach doesn't feel like throwing everything up that I just ate.

"Did he get anything to eat?"

That threw her off. "Umm... Well, no I don't think so. I don't think anyone in the kitchen prepared anything for him."

I silently shove my platter of fruits and sashimi towards her. In response, she stares at me, as if she doesn't get it. I sigh. Do I have to tell her everything? "Could you bring this to him for me? Ah... Don't tell him it's from me..."

A smile suddenly graces her face and she nods and bounces out of the room carrying the platter. This time she remembers to close the door and I'm left alone again - aside from the tuna of course - in the dark room.


	3. Round Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid.

* * *

Every week I wonder how I'll pass the time, but somehow it always passes eventually. This week isn't so bad. Gumi visits me often and at other times I'm so lost in thought I don't realize how time passes.

She tells me he thanked me, even though she swears she didn't tell him anything. And I imagine him smiling. He must have a cute smile. With his large eyes and round face he could probably pull off the perfect 'puppy dog eyes' face. Gumi's laugh pulls me back to reality.

Len was moved back up two days later. Sadly, my door was closed again. I would have loved to see how he was faring. It's now six days after we first met, meaning that tomorrow we'll be running again. I rub my fingers together, in worry or anticipation I don't know.

What am I expecting really?

He's a canine, I'm a feline, He's the hunter, I'm the hunted. I... I do think I care about him. It's ridiculous, I know, but I do. Still, it doesn't change the fact that he will be hunting me. I wonder what he thinks exactly. He's never told me. Well, it's kind of impossible in our situation.

I lay on my bed wondering what tomorrow will bring when the door to the room opens and closes again. Sheesh, why's that rabbit trying so hard to be quiet? She really should stick to just announcing her visit as usual. Anyway, I get up and sneak to the edge of my cage where I know she's debating on whether to get my attention or not.

"What's up?" I whisper in her ear when I'm very close.

She jumps at the question, obviously not having seen me beforehand. "Rin!" Her eyes are panicstricken. I wonder what's up. She grabs my shoulders through the cage and looks me straight in the eye. Okay, she's not actually looking me in the eye, but she thinks she is.

"Rin, you have to trust me on this. Don't let Len catch you tomorrow." Duh... Of course I wasn't planning on doing that... right?

"Why?" Is all I managed to say. I've never seen my new friend so riled up.

"...They call it 'Cantarella'... I... I don't know what it does, but just... just promise, okay?" Her hands glide down my shoulders and grasp my hands firmly. There's a desperate look in her eyes. I shake her hands and promise. She takes off after that, wishing me luck for tomorrow on her way out.

I'm totally freaked out now and for a moment I can't decide if her visit was my mind playing tricks on me in the dim lighting or if something is going on.

Cantarella? What's that got to do with Len?

From the sound of it, it's bad. Very bad. Is Len in trouble? After turning and tossing in my bed and running out of ideas I voice my question out loud, hoping some deity would answer me.

"What in the freaking hell is Cantarella?" Silence is all that answers my question. I turn again in my bed and finally toss the covers off.

"It's a drug duh. It's makes animals aggressive!"

To my astonishment, it isn't a deity that answers me. It's the freaking tuna.

"W-What...?" Is all I manage to say. I'm completely baffled, if you can't tell.

"Yeah! It's a drug! It can turn tame little puppies into savage raving mad wolves and of course turn cute tunas like myself into bloodthirsty sharks!..." etc. I tune out the tuna at that point. It likes to give endless examples.

Shit... I woke the tuna up... It's not going back to sleep until tomorrow evening. How am I going to get my rest today? … On second thought I don't think I could have slept anyway. My thoughts are racing. Is the master using Cantarella on Len? Why? Maybe that's not a valid question. I did realize just a few days ago that he might not even care about Len. Maybe he's had enough of losing. He does seem like the type who doesn't like losing.

It's ironic how the only way I would be able to help Len is to stay alive while me living is only causing him trouble.

But I don't want to die... And I don't want Len to die... But I did promise Gumi...

As I wallow in my dark thoughts, I slowly become aware of a clanking sound in the hallway. So soon already? I haven't slept at all! Tiredly, I rub my eyes and will myself to start preparing mentally for the battle to come.

Is 'battle' a bit overboard? Nah, I don't think so.

The servant is surprised when I come obediently, but he doesn't protest and we commence our silent walk to the rose garden. I turn my head at every intersection hoping to catch a glance of Len, but no such luck... Soon we're outside and the voices of the excited party guests reach my ears.

I really hate these people. How can they enjoy a gruesome game such as this?

The mistress is already waiting for us with a huge ornamental fan to stave off the summer heat. She greets me with her typical condescending smile, but I don't grace her with an answer. The master is nowhere to be seen and Len as well.

To be honest, I'm relieved.

The game begins as always and I start running. I'm trying to hurry out of this horror maze, but I know I'm slower than I've ever been. The lack of sleep and heat are getting to me. I just hope it slows him down as well. I hear the creaking metal gate open and slam shut with more force than usual. Faintly, I hear a growling sound and gulp, forcing myself to run faster.

It's no good... I'm panting like mad and I'm not even half way through. Or am I? I didn't hear anything, but maybe it's because the pounding of my own heart is so loud. Another dead end. I only wanted to stop and turn around, but I end up stopping and trying to catch my breath. My legs move forward slowly again and I work my way into a run.

The next dead end disheartens me even more. My feet stumble and I lose my balance when my foot lands in a shallow dent in the ground. The falling motion causes me to try and grab something nearby to regain my balance, but I only manage to cut my arm on the nearest rose bush and fall flat on my chest.

What is wrong with me today? Could I have been drugged with something as well or is it just the heat? I roll over on my back and lick the wounds, hoping that my saliva would stop the smell from spreading.

I push myself up on wobbly knees, but the sound of frantic breathing and quick footsteps makes me stop in shock. It doesn't take long for Len to round the corner and my heart skips a beat.

"Len..." I whisper into the silence. But he only growls and there's something wrong with his eyes. Were they always red? No... I remember, they were blue like mine.

He charges at me and I fall down on my behind again. In the next moment a sharp pain registers in my brain as his fangs pierce my left shoulder. It's all I can do not to scream. Why am I not screaming? I should be, but I'm not ready to give up yet.

The pain in my shoulder is not that bad, my heart hurts more. I know he's not in control right now, what was I expecting? But somehow despite how logical it seems, I can't bring myself to feel alright. I feel betrayed and I silently curse my heart. Why can't it listen to reason? Why couldn't it just accept the fact that I shouldn't see him today?

The next thing I'm aware of is that I'm afraid, afraid of dying in here. My survival instincts kick in and with an adrenaline boost, I push my feet against his stomach as hard as I can the moment the pressure in my shoulder eases up and he attempts to take another bite out of me. It sends him flying, literally, and he lands in the rose bush on the other side of the path yelping in pain.

I forgot how thin and light he was, but now's not the time to worry about it. I get onto my feet and run, stumbling as I struggle to regain good balance. My hand clenches on my hurt shoulder hoping to stem the flow of blood. But even as I run I know he won't follow me. He's practically buried in the bush! If he wanted to get out, he'd have to hurt himself a lot more than I hurt him when I first kicked him in there. He doesn't have fur like a real dog, so it's going to hurt like hell. Not to mention he's not wearing a shirt again. With this heat and burning sun, I can sort of understand, but it certainly is another drawback now that he's stuck. Plus, he's on his back, it's going to take some struggling around to get him back out of there.

I finally see the gates of the exit and can hear the guests speaking and laughing at their odd jokes. But my feet slow down.

I've only ever cared about winning because it meant that I'd live.

My chest hurts at the thought of Len, hurt and alone amongst the roses.


	4. Unleashed

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid.

* * *

I come to a complete standstill only a few metres away from the exit, but they haven't noticed me yet. My feet burn from all the running and I'm panting like I've never done before, but I turn around and retrace my steps. I get lost again, the maze looks so different when walking in the other direction, but Len isn't the only one with a good nose. I roughly know the direction he's in, but it takes me awhile to navigate the maze.

Just as I suspected, he hasn't moved an inch. I drag my tired feet over to him and collapse onto my knees, panting. He's unconscious. I stare at him for a moment, not understanding why my heart isn't calming down. Then I force myself back onto my feet and try to lift him out of there as gently as possible. It isn't easy and I scratch myself on the thorns. But I'm fine, as long as he doesn't get too many more scratches I don't care. By the time I lay him on the floor, we're both covered in scratches and my hands are soaked in his blood. Who knew roses could have such evil thorns?

Gently, I remove some that got stuck in his back, wincing at the sickening sound they make as they dislodge from his flesh. I don't have anything to clean our wounds with, so I begin licking them. At least they don't sting that much then.

His sweat clings to my tongue and it occurs to me after finishing with his back that it might not have been the best idea to lick him, for many reasons. My face flushes red. Somehow I convince myself to finish what I started and move over to his arms.

After I'm done with him I lay his head in my lap and clean my own arms. He hasn't stirred at all, but I'm certain he'll live. Should I go now? I know I don't want to. So I end up staying.

The taste of our sweat and blood is strange on my tongue.

For some reason I don't feel disgusted at all. My hand ruffles his hair. It's amazing how soft it is. I look at the blue sky above us and start humming. It's the same tune as the one from a week ago. I still don't know where I've heard this tune before. In the shade of the roses, the heat is that much more bearable and there's still not a cloud to be seen in the sky.

An ear twitches under my finger and I look down to see him blinking his eyes confusedly. They've returned to their lovely shade of cerulean, just like the sky above us. His lips move to say something, but he winces in pain. I silence him with a hushed 'shh...' And we continue sitting there until the sky turns a lovely shade of orange.

His hand on my chin makes me look back down into his soft smile. It's a thousand times better than anything my mind came up with. And then he's pulling my head closer to his and our lips meet.

I've just shared my first kiss with a canine.

My parents would have made a face at that, but I couldn't care less at the moment. It's only a short kiss because it's such an awkward position, but I blush red nevertheless.

He sits up after that and our eyes lock for a long time, his hands gently caressing mine. Scars and welts from last week are all over them, but his serene smile and faint blush make it seem like all is well. My hands move around his back to pull him closer and our lips meet again. I don't think I've ever felt so hungry for anything in my life. Why does it feel so good to press your lips to another's? I don't know, but it's good, definitely. His arms wrap around my back and when we finally pull apart, I rest my head on his chest.

"I'm so sorry..." He whispers in my ear.

For a moment I have no idea what he's talking about, but then his wet tongue flicks across the wound on my shoulder and I wince. But he continues cleaning it. It stings initially, but then it starts feeling cool and nice, so I hold still, blushing all the while. I really don't want this moment to end. I'd like him to hold me forever in his arms. But after awhile, his head lifts and there's a smile plastered on his face.

It's too cute.

Before I know what he's doing, his nose is in my hair and breathing in deeply, making my blush deepen. And then suddenly I feel a tug on my ear.

Argh! He just nipped my ear!

I pull away quickly with a flushed face. "W-W-What are you-!" But he places a finger to my mouth to silence me with a huge grin in place.

"I caught you!" He announces.

That was... childish. I have a hard time following his logic, but maybe there isn't any? I pout and jump at him, tugging his ear with my own mouth, but still being careful not to hurt him. He just doubles over laughing though. His fall pulls me along and I end up lying on his chest. I myself can't help breaking out into a laugh. I've been scared to admit it, but now I'm sure that trying to hide it won't do me any good.

I love him with every fibre in me.

We may not have been meant to be together, but here we lay in the evening sun, relishing the others presence, forgetting everything else around us. I've been running from him for over a year and now that I'm here, so close to him, I can't understand why.

"...Let's hide in here forever." His voice is so close to my ear, a blush spreads on my cheeks again.

I regret to tell him we can't. The humans will surely find us, or we'd starve to death. Why haven't they come looking for us yet? But he only laughs at my worries, says he'd gladly starve to death with me and defend me from anyone or anything. Even though I know I'm actually the stronger of the two of us, his words calm me down.

"Let's run away." I suggest.

In my mind I ask myself the question he must be asking himself. How? We can't possible climb up the rose bushes and their roots are too deep for us to be able to dig underneath them. His reply shocks me.

"Okay."

Just like that. 'Okay' is all he says and I want to knock some sense into his thick doggy brain. He continues holding me close, his warmth easing my worries. As the sun's last rays vanish beyond the horizon, I feel like everything will be okay. He gets up, pulling me gently to my feet as well.

I don't question or resist him when he pulls me toward the entrance of the maze.

I don't hear or smell the overbearing stench of perfume anymore. The humans have probably gone in already or the party has already ended. I never know what they do after these games anyway. As we near the entrance I hear even breathing and my feet stop for a moment, but he just looks back at me and puts his finger to his mouth. A sign to remain silent.

As expected, the gate is locked. What did he want to come here for? The person I heard breathing is the servant with the chain. He's fallen asleep at one of the ornate garden tables. We stop just in front of the gate and he lets go of my hand. My fingers trace the old rusty metal of the bar.

How I wish we could rip it apart.

A light tapping on my uninjured shoulder brings my attention back to reality. Len is smiling and indicating the top of the gate. My gaze shifts upward. Oh...

There's a single spike missing.

I've never noticed that before. But it's too tall, we can't climb up there. He taps me on the shoulder again and I wonder what he could possibly want now. He's pointing at the sleeping servant and I can quite easily see the key poking out of his breast pocket even in the dark. Before my thoughts can wander further he bends down in front of the gate exposing his back to me and waving me over.

Aha... That's his ingenious plan. He wants me to climb on his back and then over the gate, grab the key and unlock the old creaking gate. I sure hope that servant is sleeping deeply. I nod at him to signify that I understand and get ready to climb up.

His knees buckle under my weight and we nearly topple over, but I grab on to the bars of the gate to help us stabilise. Sheesh... I'm not that heavy... Or maybe he's just really weak... Yeah that has to be it. I remind myself that he's been starving for a year and that even though he's lighter than me it'd be impossible to do this the other way around since my shoulder is hurt.

I grab the top of the gate and with him stretching his legs, I easily make it on top. I take a moment to balance myself, but then I jump down, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Hey, I'm a feline and we always land on our feet. Okay, I do use my hand so I don't fall down, but it just makes me look cooler. I sneak over to the guard soundlessly, but I'm still worried that the gate will make too much noise upon opening. We're tired and hungry, there's no way we'll be able to outrun the servant in our condition. I tiptoe my way around the chain anyway.

The chain... That's it!

I carefully pick up one end of the chain and tie it to the table, wincing at the noise it makes. I briefly halt to see if he moved, but he doesn't seem to have stirred at all. Len has a questioning look on his face, but waits patiently. Wagging his tail happily while doing so. God, why does he do that? My face heats up again for no apparent reason. At least the reason isn't apparent to me.

I click the other end of the chain, the one that usually clips to my collar, onto his belt. I take the chain's key and lock it, just in case. And the servant still has no idea what is going on. Perfect. The gate key is pretty big but still easy to steal, so I make off with it happily. I stuck it into the keyhole at the gate and turn it, hearing the lock click loudly in the dark. At this point neither of us cares though. He pushes the gate open and as expected it creaks, even louder than the lock.

The servant jumps to his feet after hearing the noise. I grab Len's hand and run. The servant nearly catches up to us, but the chain stops him and he falls in surprise. I start laughing as we run and Len joins in not long after.

The servant shouts profanities and tries fruitlessly to take the chain off. The noise he makes reaches the people in the mansion and multiple lights turn on. I look back just once and see Gumi waving over at us with a relieved smile on her face. Surprisingly, the tuna is just beside her in a large tank. I wave as well, hoping she can see it.

I see her mouth something at me and somehow I'm sure that she just said 'a few screws loose' with a huge smile on her face, but I can't confirm it.

More shouts from within the mansion can be heard, but we've come too far for them to catch up now. Still, we don't stop running until we're long past the boundaries of the mansion. We hide in the dense foliage of a tree and watch the search party hunt for us. I'm surprised at how good Len is at climbing. It isn't what I consider typical of a canine.

As dawn breaks, the search party returns to a no doubt angry and frustrated couple. Honestly, I'd call them a match made in hell, but that's just my opinion. We climb down slowly, making sure not to hurt ourselves even more.

We're finally free!

We run holding hands, playfully chasing each other and rolling around. I stumble over a tree's roots and it sends the both of us tumbling down a hill, but all I can do is laugh. We reach a stream and I wash out Len's wounds, wrapping the worst of it with the cloth from my bow. I protest against him licking my shoulder wound again, but he insists and says that saliva has healing attributes.

Marching up the stream is tedious, but it conceals our tracks and the cooling water does a world of wonder for our blistered feet. The water is also cause for something else entirely...

A water fight!

Len's the one who starts and gets the whole back of my shirt soaked in one splash. By the time I've recovered from my shock, he's already ahead laughing.

It's a wonderful laugh, free and innocent.

I chase after him, complaining and fighting back, but soon it all turns into laughter. We run and play all day, knowing we'll never be bound by their rules and games again. Basking in the sun and feeling its heat beat down on me is a wonderful change from my lonely days with the tuna in the cellar of the mansion.

I do miss them, both Gumi and... the tuna.

I never did get its name. Now that it's actually not here to talk my ear full, I miss its chatter. But Len's smile washes all my worries away, making me believe that even a dysfunctional pair such as us will be able to make it.

Everything will be okay.

We'll definitely get our 'happy ever after'.

* * *

A/N Yay! It's a happy ending! It was really fun writing this story. If you have the time, please review and tell me what you thought of it.


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